Cream-filled Scandal Rocks Minneapolis

May 30, 1986|By Mike Royko, Chicago Tribune

I'm not easily shocked. And I thought that I was beyond being disillusioned by any betrayal of the public trust.

But I have to admit that the scandal in Minneapolis has left me wondering if honesty and goodness exists anywhere in this country. Minneapolis always has been a do-gooders town. The people there think it's an outrage to catch a pike while carrying a lapsed fishing license. But this squeaky-clean image of Minneapolis is no more. Not since the recent indictment of the notorious George Belair.

Belair, 71, was a candidate for election to the Minneapolis City Council last Novemember. Although he lost the election, Belair was indicted a few days ago for violating the state's campaign laws.

It seems that as part of his campaign strategy, he would visit senior citizen groups.

That's not unusual. Most politicians woo the elderly vote. But Belair went beyond making his campaign pitch. When he went to see the geezers, he would give them free Twinkies and Ho Ho's. That's right. An investigation has shown that during his campaign, he passed out free Twinkies and Ho Ho's that had a total retail value of more than $31.

Under the state's campaign laws, it's illegal for a candidate to give away food or drink in hopes of gaining votes. Even Twinkies and Ho Ho's.

Apparently Belair was not very furtive when he spread around the Twinkies and Ho Ho's. He would show up at the nursing home and brazenly say something like: ''Here, Myrtle, have a Twinkie. Clarence, would you like a Ho Ho with your coffee?''

This did not go unobserved. His sharp-eyed opponent, an incumbent alderman, got wind of the free Twinkies and Ho Ho's and he brought the matter to the attention of the county prosecutor.

And after a lengthy investigation, evidence was presented to a grand jury. The jurors, undoubtedly dismayed by this assault on the moral fabric of their community, voted to indict Belair.

The cops slapped the cuffs on him and took him to court. He will be tried at a future date, but he said he would plead not guilty and denied that he had given the Twinkies and Ho Ho's in hopes of getting somebody's vote.

A likely story if I ever heard one. Not that I would prejudge Belair, but when a politician gives somebody a free Twinkie, what motive can he possibly have than to get a vote in return for the payoff?

Are we to believe that he simply took pleasure in watching a room full of old coots gumming away at Twinkies and Ho Ho's?

If he's convicted, Belair could be sentenced to up to 90 days in jail and fined $700. That's a pretty soft sentence for somebody who would do something as cynical as give a potential voter a Twinkie.

At least he was caught and the word has gone out to others in Minneapolis who might be tempted to do the same. Or even worse. Who knows what it might be the next time? A Big Mac with fries?